Should I go to law school?

Ick. It's wet in there.

I'm actually examining chemical-plant maintenance / operations (believe it or not -- kind of the Homer Simpson position, sit at the control board, but it's at an oil or sulphur refinery, etc.). I can NOT stand the innerds of human bodies, though, so I'm going to have to take a pass on nursing. I am not exactly "squeamish," just very dissatisfied. When they have those TV shows about open-cavity surgery, my stomach automatically turns unless I take a hard look at myself and tell myself, "no stomach turning, it's just a TV image." And when they show eye-drop commercials on TV, with the attractive lady putting eye-drops in her eyes all blase, my eyes automatically water and puddle up. Just as an autonomous response. Nursing ain't for me.

I still think nursing would be ideal for you. After reading this article in our local rag, >>I'M<< even thinking about it, especially if I could get into THAT kind of nursing... nothing like adding my love of flying to a career! southbendtribune.com

Yeah, you have to be willing to "think within the box" and accept, that you can't break out of the box, at least not during your lawyering duties. The right to counsel, jurisdictions, that sort of thing. I understand the stress factor. I was concerned about the lack-of-income factor, since that would simply drop me right back in the same danged kettle I'm trying to swim out of.

I once knew an attractive professional woman (she headed her company's computer department) who was doing a little hooking on the side. She told me that most of her customers were lawyers. So maybe that's how they go bad.

Seriously, I think a lot of law jobs are pretty stressful. So some of them engage in destructive behaviors (like alcohol or drug abuse or hookers) in response. I also think that some of the concepts that are taught in law schools are contrary to come people's ingrained ideas of right and wrong, which may also be a source of stress. I think that would be the case with me.

Geez, not THAT kind of "gone bad"! :)

I was just wondering, if people had stories of The Law Career's typical pitfalls, to the extent that a given participant ended up worse off for the fact that he got a law degree, rather than better off. Like, is the debt insurmountable in certain cases? If so, then in WHICH cases and why? Or, does the job's remuneration take nose-dives for certain reasons at certain odd unpredictable times? Then, for WHICH reasons? Etc.

My wife's divorce attorney was well known by mine. This is a small county. I paid mine 3 times a much as she did hers and had mine do the bulk of the paperwork to make sure it was done right. He was in and out of alcohol rehab several times.

Then there was the case 6 months ago in Columbia SC where an attorney shot and killed the manager of Chastity's Gold Club. I don't know why? For sure. Other people do the same things. Maybe success and money drives them into bad deceisions?

What types of lawyers end up "struggling"? Part of my presumption about law, is that because I'd be "good" (or just "good enough") at the basic skills required (thanks mostly to natural "talent" and my genetic gifts, and the weird mix of interests that I was born with), I'd therefore succeed "enough." I would not want to get into another hole I couldn't dig myself out of. Where do lawyers go wrong?

First off, you're not too old. But law isn't a sure thing either. There are a lot of lawyers struggling to pay off debt.

Chitown, that's funny that you suggested he consider becoming a personal trainer - I wrote exaclty the same thing in my previous post and then erased it because BG strikes me as being more the cerebral type. It is a fast growing field but it's hard to make much money at it, which is why my ATF never finished pursuing it as she had once started to do. I'm betting that most of them make far less than the $60K to which BG aspires.

I should probably say that I'm almost never opposed to more anyone getting more education and learning about something new to them - if someone has a curiosity about something I'll almost aways encourage them to go for it. Even if you never do anyting with the new knowledge, it is still usually worth getting.

BG: As chitown & IGU say. To carry their sentiments further: Being educated and "qualified" is no silver bullet. Oftentimes, being the right place at the right time is critical. So, how can you be the "RPART"?? I suggest that you channel the energy/time that you seem to be spending reading books, writing, and clubbing into developing networking skills. That means making contacts, followup, in short good persevearance. Results may not happen soon, but staying in circulation will yield results sooner or later. Once basic qualifications are met, the people making the hiring decisions are often looking for a good candidate that happens to be there. Hirers are only human, they like to pick someone they're familiar and comfortable with, and don't want to spend too much time recruiting(unless it's truly a very high mgt or skill level job). In the meantime, did you ever consider taking a night shift job as a hotel desk clerk or parking lot attd. that would allow you a lot of time to do your writing??(I'm presuming that you do, have done that.) Many people have put themselves through college, doing their homework while getting paid, I've even seen a stripclub bathroom troll reading textbooks on the job. Good luck, I'm out//minnow

If not writing, how about typing? I'm impressed by your abilities

Although I have not reversed or modified my original position that your should not go to law school, I do disagree with the proposition that you are too old. As long as there's some life in you, you're young enough. I just don't detect the passion that you need for the arduous slog through law school and the more thankless aspects of law practice.

By the way, your physically-oriented pursuits made me wonder if you could do anything as a certified personal trainer. There are a lot of fat, middle-aged guys with a little disposable income (I know one of them very well) who would be willing to part with some money to get (back) into shape.

A general comment...don't let your choices be constrained by your past education. In other words, don't look at a particular field and say, "I can't do that, I have 6.3 years of education more than the average person in that field." Make money during the day, deconstruct Evelyn Waugh during your free time.

Aren't their law specialties that involve mostly writing? Seems to me that's an essential skill for a lawyer.

I sympathize with the desire we all have to spend our lives doing something that we enjoy, and it would be wonderful if we could all do that. But let's face it, most people never find that and end up working primarily to make money, and then finding their enjoyment elsewhere. I think law school is good preparation for that. You might even get lucky and find a specialy which you enjoy.

I vote for law school. I think you have many of the necessary tools, and it should help you to achieve the kind of income that you desire. Go for it.

Thanks for your well-meaning help. However, writing for a living IS what I do now, and THAT'S WHY I'm trying to find something better. In my experience, plenty of organizations suggest that they need good writers, but then the following happens:

1. They hire excellent writers from excellent schools at 19K, and after five years promote them to "senior writer" at 25K. Meanwhile, they hire recent high-school grads with computer certifications at 45K and either fire them or promote them to project managers at 60K. The writer is sent away to his garret, whither he disappears for long periods and then returns with excellent or dreadful material. Repeat. Meanwhile, the other employees meet one another, discuss longer-term strategies, plan budgets, present things to the big boss, and have a chance to shine. The writer returns from his garret to find that his juniors have been promoted. He is then sent thither again.

2. You end up in a field where people do it "for the love, not the money." This is a wonderful thing, IF you have the love. But it's just a euphemism for, "We can't afford to give you a living wage, since just about anyone can FAKE doing a decent job at what you claim you're such a danged professional at. So, you have to accept that we're going to exploit you, and if you aren't 'in love' with your profession then you have to move on because we aren't going to make it possible for you to either do a good job -- ridiculous deadlines! -- or get promoted -- no budget! No resources in this field! If you wanted money, you should have gone into computers!" If you WANT to be in publishing or journalism because you ENJOY it, then yes, you'd accept the low wage. It's like being a teacher -- you do it for other rewards. But I don't experience it as rewarding at all.

3. I run out of writing energy, quite early in the business process of required-writing. I do LIKE writing, on certain occasions, but that's because I do it on my own time, with my own attitudes. To make money at writing, you don't get to write what you think is true, or even what you are thinking at all. You have to write what OTHER people are thinking. This is much more difficult, and much less rewarding, and much less rewardED, than you might think. Further, if the writer has ANY aspirations to doing "real" writing that might some day make himself famous, instead of just selling a tire iron or chewing gum, he's lost all his writing energy on someone else's product, and by the time he gets home to write his Great American Novel, he can't write any more because he's sick and tired of it for the day or week or year.

So, yeah, maybe I'm good at writing. I'm also good at fucking, you just haven't ever seen me do THAT on an internet bulletin board. If you did, you wouldn't suggest that I should throw all opportunity for a living wage away, and become a perpetual AMP client? :)

Writing is a dead-end. Been there done that. It's exactly the cul-de-sac that I'm reversing myself out of right now. Thanks but no thanks. Were there legitimate recompense-per-input in trade-off form, I'd accept it as a legitimate suggestion. But in fact, anyone who thinks that there's a living to be made in writing, hasn't done the research. There are meager livings to be had as directors and leaders (often called "editors") of publications and publishing houses, but those leadership positions are chosen from the marketing and business sides of things. If you climb your way up through the writer-ship, you remain a writer OR you re-tool with (for example) an MBA, and in the meanwhile you are paid a sub-standard wage. Roughly 19K is the norm for Manhattan dweellers in their first fifteen to twenty years in publishing -- really; literally -- you have to be independently wealthy, or have mommy and daddy support you, to be able to AFFORD an addiction to writing. Only a very few -- Stephen King, John Grisham -- make it to the point of paying for dinner, much less paying for a house or a car. Not a high-percentage gamble.

BG: I have to agree with AN. Your ability to write is outstanding. Maybe you could get a job with the political party of your choice and wright speeches for the candidates. I have only known one wrighter. He was a co worker back in the 60's. He had a dozen or so short stories published in magazines and wrote one novel. I cannot remember his name. Robert something, I think but the title of his book was "Flight 311". He flew a lot with the daughter of actor Clint Walker. Acquring technical information from her. She was the only pilot that I ever wanted to fuck. FINE. I have read that each of us has at least one good book in us. I have the stories but not the gift of telling them. I think that you have.

BG, I've decided. You should write for a living. End of discussion.

Acting like a gynocologist does not impress all of them. But I keep trying.

DarkWolf, my experience while in law school was that people who went to law school so that they could vindicate a certain cause ended up in two camps:

Some of them got disgusted/bitter about all the classes they had to take that did not involve their "cause". For example, even though defending strip clubs would require that you take a lot of classes in constitutional law, civil procedure, and civil rights litigation, you would still have to take real property, estates and trusts, etc. These people tended to drop out early and go into some field that directly involved "the cause."

1. SOme of those people, who had an open mind, ended up doing something entirely different than their pre-determined "cause." For example, I went to law school to do criminal defense. I ended up doing insurance defense for my entire career (including all four jobs I had with law firms while in law school.) That's a big difference. If I have ever seen the inside of a criminal courtroom, it was because I was lost (or was in such a small county that civil and criminal matters were handled in the same courtroom).

The idea of nursing is a good one. If I had known what my marital situation was going to be, I may have chosen that field myself. If you are concerned because you are not a science geek, just talk to some nurses. Their approach to issues of chemistry, biology, etc., are very concrete and non-theoretical.

Here's a strange idea--since you like strip clubs so much, why not strike up a conversation with a manager/ass't manager about how they got into the business. In my opinion, herding a bunch of irresponsible, potentially drug-addled, band-member boyfriend crazy, baby's-daddy chasing girls is my idea of Hell, but some people might like it.

You, BookGuy, say you've read "Parachute": in that case, how about some "informational interviewing" of managers in a strip club. What harm can it do?

BookGuy: In defense of nursing, they rarely (if ever) wear white anymore... they simply wear scrubs. I'm envious of my wife getting to wear scrubs to work... they look SO comfortable. Speaking of wearing scrubs, even though I'd never thought of it until now, scrub pants would probably work out VERY well for getting LDs. They are usually made of very thin material, so you'd get plenty of "sensation" through them... plus they are baggy, allowing any dancer easy access, should she want some. PLUS, it might be impressive to the dancers when they find out that you are in the medical field (you can insinuate that you are a dr, which should get you a lot of attention).

Initially, I was casting my vote against going into law school, but Darkwolf's argument sure holds water. We definitely need more attorney's on OUR side, supporting and defending our clubs and our right for our choice of entertainment.

I guess I am the minority here... but go to law school. Study some corporate law and try to delve yourself into a facet that will deal with what you do love - Strip Clubs. Become a power in fighting the oppressive stances that are taken by the right wings when they are trying to remove that very thing that you like to do from your community.

There are always plenty of clubs, and persons, who will need defending when it comes to someone trying to shut them down or indict them for something that was morally legislated and ridiculously interpretted.

Book Guy, I find this very interesting because as I recall I suggested you consider law school 6 months or so ago. I don't know enough about you to know whether it's a good idea or not, it all depends on your interests.

I'd take Chitown's comments seriously, he certainly knows more about it than do the rest of us. And I'd do some research into the many different specializations possible, eg. corporate law, criminal law, real estate, general family practice. (I know a lawyer who has spent his entire career helping railroads dispose of old rights of way.) Go talk to some lawyers and find out what they do. I think it's important for you to determine where your interests lie, and then find out whether there are any jobs available in that field, before you commit yourself. Start with a specific goal in mind, you may change it along the way but it will at least give you something to focus on.

Nursing? Hmm ...

Actually, I don't tend toward the scientific. I have no background in biology or medicine, and am not "talented" in those fields (well, not any more than in any other field I've tended to keep away from; though I GUESS I could learn ...). So it's not something I'm actively pursuing. At 3 years for the initial learning/training requirements, I would think that something "more up my alley" would be a better choice?

Maybe, maybe not. If you start to do the math, independent of "what I prefer" and strictly in terms of outlay-to-income ratio (where outlay represents training time, training cost, work time, work effort, life-energy lost, etc.), nursing DOES start to look better. Relative to lawyering, nursing includes the opportunity to make very irregular hours when you choose, and (here's an added benefit!) you get to sign on to a given hospital's "staff medical care" program, no doubt a positive bonus.

I hate the white outfits, though. And somewhere in the back of my head, I still want to run for Senator. Public Service is in my blood ...

Y'know, after giving it a lot of thought last night, I think I've come up with an absolutely brilliant idea. I think a LOT of us here might be interested in this! I don't know why it never occurred to me before, but it seems SO obvious now. The more I thought about my idea, the more interested I became, until I just couldn't sleep. I got up and went downstairs. Excitedly, I scanned the classified section of the South Bend Tribune... Damn, doesn't seem to be too many openings available - in fact, I didn't see even one. But maybe there will be an opening posted on Monster.com, or something... How about becoming a Professional Lap Dance Receiver? Or perhaps a Lap Dance Tester? Gentlemen's Club Quality Control Inspector?

Sorry, but damn, if there were money in something like that, I'd be all over it. I have the experience, and I enjoy the shit out of it... it seems like a perfect fit!

Joking aside, I DO have another REAL suggestion. What about nursing? After the last few paragraphs above, I know no one will take me seriously, but I AM being serious. If I were in your position (single, no family, etc.), I think nursing might catch my attention.

My wife is a nurse, and I know that nurses get paid very well. She has 21 yrs exp, and working just two days a week, pulls in a pretty hefty check. I also know that if you look at the classified section in your newspaper, you will probably find PAGES of openings for nurses. Think about it... you can get an RN "certification" in three years - or you could get lesser certifications (nursing assistant, LPN, etc.), in even less time.

Other advantages of making nursing a career... flexibility. Since there's a shortage of nurses, most hospitals and dr offices are very accomidating with their schedules, as an incentive to work for them. There's an infinite possibilty of shifts, plus you have interesting schedules like the four 10hr day work week... the 48hr weekend work week (work 2 days solid, then off for five).

Speaking of incentives, most hospitals have "sign on" bonuses, some of which I've seen in the $10,000 to $20,000 range. Now THAT would cover a WHOLE lot of VIP sessions at BBF.

There are even cool programs such as the "traveling nurse" and "nurse time share" programs. The traveling nurse program allows you to travel all over the world, contracting for a certain amount of time (usually 3mo, 6mo, or a year) in each city, to work as a nurse. The nurse time share allows you to trade or share nursing jobs with other nurses around the country.

All of this, plus you get to work with other nurses - some of which, are very hot.

Now, you may be thinking that nursing is just for women. Well, that used to be the case, but more and more guys are joining the field. Sure there ARE "guy" nurses that tend to be a little light in their Stride Rites, but as long as you aren't a homophobe, who cares?

AND, you just might get to know some cute, young, single girl that is a fellow nurse, and solve your family-less issue.

I-give-up -- I've heard your story about doing aircraft logistics before. Here's what I have to say to it: how did you "just know" that you liked doing that stuff? I know a LOT of things that I "like" and would love to do for a living --

playing soccer (not! coaching) playing the cello (can't play for shit's sakes) playing rock guitar (also can't play it at all) performing in porn (never done it, and my dick is only average size) working out at the gym (I'm of average height and weight) going camping writing on web bulletin boards

But none of these supposed "interests" bears much relation to the free market and the truth about work.

It took me a VERY long time to come to a practical understanding, that the market doesn't pay you for something merely because you "love" to do it; but rather, people pay you for doing something that they want you to do for them, regardless of how much you love it, and they pay more for things that are harder to get or more valuable to them. Duh. I mean, I guess I always "knew" those facts intellectually, but I still haven't really learned to base my life on them.

This is why I'm moving toward SOME kind of professional study or certification. Law might be it: I am kind of stoked about the idea of knowing a lot of stuff that's arcane and freaky, and also about being part of "greasing the wheels" of how our society functions; I am interested in late-night research sessions, and am good at that; I like and am VERY competent at presenting complicated ideas in their most rational, direct form (hence all the writing I do here). But then, I am not very socially 'manipulative' in the manner that gets you ahead in a large corporate law office, and my age is all wrong for that anyway, and I don't necessarily KNOW if I'd like law unless I TRIED it first. So, there are ups and downs to it.

I'm just looking about. I NEED to find something, really. I can't gut houses for the rest of my life, the mold and plaster dust are killing me. Literally. What I need, is a "real" job or field or certification that I'd be good at. I need to stop thinking, "what do I WANT to do" and start thinking, "what does the MARKET want me to do, that I can stand doing, relative to how much the market would pay me to do that." I mean, I'd dig latrines if it took 2 hours a day and I got $200,000.oo a year for it, right?

Anyway, thanks for the discussion. Sorry it turned out so negative about the law. Can anyone think of positive things to say about it? Or alternatives for me to examine?

meant to say turn coal into oil, gas, and other products

I have one idea that would require a ton of people and equipment but could be cost justified I believe. I'm pretty sure others already know about it and are already working on it. I read the break even point to turn coal in oil, gas, plastics, etc. is $30 a barrel using some technology owned by a foreign outfit. That could become a huge boom for the US because the US is the Saudi Arabia of coal and I read this technology was clean (good for keeping green house gases down). Unfortunately I think they want money before they tell me more about this company and others. "They" is an investment subscriber service.

Just mentioned the above after thinking about the shortage of workers in Alberta (they need welders) and others I believe to work in the oil sands recovery ( I think?) However I don't know if there are any strip clubs in Alberta. I heard the pay was pretty good (maybe 6 figures for work that is not too hard to learn I believe.) I never investigated further into it.

I think its important to be good at whatever you do and work hard at it. I'm kind of glad I never became a computer programmer. I've heard about so many of those jobs getting outsourced overseas. That would really suck if you studied hard for several years in college, learned all those skills, only to have some corporation want to save a buck and hire some guy overseas who is only making a fraction of what you were being paid. In light of this development, I would pick a job that requires your presence here unless you move high up into management.

I think the last time I gave this subject some serious thought was when I was in college and didn't like the courses I was taking at all in aerospace engineering and job prospects looked pretty bleak unless as my faculty advisor put it, the US goes to Mars. I thought go to Mars? (especially after the first space shuttle blew up), I'm changing majors and find something I can get a job in. At that time I was also told to get a job interview in aerospace engineering you had to have a 4.0 or perfect A grades in very tough courses. Then you could expect to be pumping gas during the summer because layoffs were common. Another reason to change majors. The next semester I took classes in everything except my major. I think I studied Astronomy, business, some other engineering disciplines, and even investigated meteorology as a possible profession. I think I even took some test showing my skill set of what I might be good at. My faculty advisor was pissed off at me I could tell when he found out about all the classes I was taking. I didn't care because I wanted to know and decide what to do.

All I can say is investigate, study the subject, and decide if you like it or not. I investigated a lot of fields. astronomy, business, engineering, meteorology, stock broker, nasa (engineering again), military (as a civilian employee in engineering), even the fbi (mainly out of curiosity), for some reason I thought a job in Miami didn't sound too bad. Hadn't even visited a strip club when I graduated from college but the beach and bikinis appealed to me.

Now I would probably also investigate more computer fields of work such as in game programming, play tester and/or even professional gamer if you really are that good at video/pc games. I kind of doubt professional gamer is a field too many people are going to be successful at.

I am a firm believer in the " What do you want to do theory" Some times more education will get you there and sometimes you are just wasting your time and money. I went to college at nights after I graduated high school. Couldn't afford to go full time. I studied finance and accounting and business. I completed 2 years and then joined the USAF. I thought that they would surely put me in the accounting and finance division. Wrong.

I wound up in a field that that was involved in aircraft movement. "Hey, I like this shit" but I don't want to stay in the AF for ever. I read up on civilian aviation jobs other than flying. And deceided that I wanted to either be an air traffic controller working for the FAA or an aircraft dispatcher, working for an air line. I finally deceied on the later. 6 months before my discharge I submitted resumes to 6 air lines. I got hired by 1 only 1 week after getting my discharge. I started as a dispatch clerk at $2.53 hr. Not bad in 1967. It took me 2 years to get my FAA license. It was mostly home study because there were no schools teaching this occupation. On 3/20/07 I will have completed 40 years on the job and I still love it. I plan to go untill I am at least 70 ( which is 5 years from now). I make 6 figures. Some attorneys and doctors do not make 6 figures.

My son (29) did not graduate high school but now he makes $65k a year as a lan administrator in charge of computer security at a Fortune 500 company.

My best friend's daughter graducated 3 year ago from Notre Dame with honors. Top 1% of her class. Degrees in international finance, Asian history and "shrink". 6 months before she graduated she had a confirmed job with an auditing company in Charlotte NC at $65K per year. They worked her ass off. 12 hour days. 6 days a week. That didn't last long. Now 3 years later she is making $35/yr and working on her masters.

2/3 of the guys I work with have college degress but only a couple have degrees in anything related to the job they are doing. One of the dumbest I guys I have ever worked with was an over educated idiot.

What do you really want to do? When you Know. I know that you have the brains to do it.

Military will take 41-y.o. yes, but not with asthma. :) Looked into it ...

Ouch! But I WANT to be a lawyer ... :)

No, seriously, I'm a bit stymied by this whole, "Do what you WANT to do" thing. I've been through the dang exercises in "What Color is your Parachute" about a jillion times. It always comes down to, "Be in charge." I have a "personality type" like Napoleon or Caesar. Is anyone hiring for military dictator without a personal fortune or a military career? Noooo ...

My dismissive, derogatory interest in The Law (humph, nobody was supportive) can be equated to almost any other profession. I just don't understand the whole "What do you want to do?" question. Does ANYONE? I thought maybe doing something I would be good at, would make it possible for me to actually get dinner on the table.

Well, anyway, maybe I started this thread a little to snidely. I do have some degree of general interest. There are political causes and forms of "activism" I might find that I could be passionate about -- first-amendment considerations, and copyright, and self-expression, for example, are things I regularly argue about on internet boards. Maybe being a lawyer for some free-speech outfit would allow me to channel that energy in a more lucrative manner.

What I'm REALLY looking for, is an answer to a more basic question:

Given -- A. That I don't have much training. B. That I want to make a killing. C. That it's time to start NOW. D. That I have certain inherent skill-sets, including rational analysis, a high IQ, an ability to do X Y and Z, etc.

Therefore -- Q. What field should I go into and how should I make more money that I do generally make?

The response should maximize the benefit of training-to-recompense ratio, and the benefit of time-expended-to-recompense ratio and the benefit of effort-expended-to-recompense ratio. So to speak.

As far as the handy-man thing goes, No, I'm not very handy. I'm not bad. But "rebuilding" mom and dad's house doesn't mean I'm the one wielding the hammer. For some of the more idiot finishing work -- basically, putting in the face-plates and the ceiling fans -- I'm as decent as any dude. But I'm not a carpenter or even a painter, really. I have always shied away from apprenticeship in one of the manual trades because I am left handed and intellectual. I don't "get along" with any of the plumbers or electricians I've ever met -- there's a blunt and direct judgmental aggression to them that, although sometimes endearing or even reassuring -- suggests to me that my effete "up East" schooling, vocabulary, and general attitude might really rub THEM the wrong way. I can get along with a plumber at the next table in a strip club fine; the question is, whether or not HE can get along with ME. And as a lefty, the investment in tools "to practice" or try it out, is an even greater initial outlay. Anyway, all that to say, I did consider the manual trades but have currently put them into the reject pile.

Seems the law is going to go into that pile too, at least according to this bulletin board. (Not that I put too much stock in an internet discussion among strip club mongers! But I'm investigating through other means as well.) If I could just end up any of these investigations into "What do I want to do with my life?" with SOMETHING in the accept pile ...

BG, with that kind of attitude what law school or firm wouldn't jump at you?

Just kidding, but I'm on the side of no. As long as you're thinking of devoting 3 years and a lot of money to a profession think of other things that might take about the same comitment and then make you money. I've never looked into what it takes to get into the trades like plumbing or carpentry, but as someone mentioned if you're handy and like it there is a thought. Then you could be an eccentric genius carpenter. CPA? If you're willing to do a job that you aren't crazy about to me it seems a little more respectable or professional than a generic MBA. I think chiropractic school takes about 3 years, imagine all the customers you could get in strip clubs, and then probably write off your visits as a buisness expense (but get a good lawyer).

I think the important thing is that you're thinking about it. I just recently made a move that turns out to be a lot better than I imagined professionally (although I'm still in the same profession), now I wonder why I waited so long.

Book Guy: You could always get a drum kit and start leeching off strippers. Living with your parents already puts you halfway there. (Sorry)

Book Guy you would hate the Socratic method do not put yourself through 3 years of tedium. Chitown is right if your just doing it to do it don't. I know did the law school thing hated it and got into something else I enjoy a whole lot better. Not that the skills and degree have not helped but if you don't love it forget it. Chitown this is for you. Chitown walks into a bar and sees a gorgeous woman nursing a drink. Walking up behind her he says "Hi there good lookin? How's it going?" Having already downed a few power drinks, she turned around, faced him, looked him straight in the eye and said, "listen up, buddy. I screw anybody, any time, anywhere, your place, my place, in the car, front door, back door, on the ground, standing up, sitting down, naked or with clothes on, dirty, clean it just doesn't matter to me. I've been doing it ever since I got out of college and I just flat ass love it" Eyes now wide open with interest, he responded, "No kidding. I'm a lawyer, too. What firm are you with?"

No.

Take it from me, if you start off with the idea that you don't really want to go to law school, you won't really want to be a lawyer, either. To quote a famous judge: "[The law] is a jealous mistress, and requires a long and constant courtship. It is not to be won by trifling favors, but by lavish homage." The practice of law takes over your life, and if you can't throw yourself into it enthusiastically, you will be miserable at it. I have a good practice, but it took twenty years to build it up, with a lot of 70-80 weeks along the way (and continuing). Don't fall for the myth that all lawyers are rich...I know plenty of guys who are deep 25-30 years) into their careers, and are scraping by. I also know guys who, because they can't get business, have to work for other people, and at 25-35 years into the profession, are no more independent than a 12.50/hour assembler in a factory.

DougS has the right idea...instead of trying to find something you "should" do for the sake of making money, look at what you like to do, and try to turn that into a way of making money. If you haven't read "What Color is Your Parachute," borrow the most recent copy from your public library, and do the exercises in it. But for God's sake, don't do something that it going to leave you in debt, equally unhappy, and maybe just as broke in the end.

BookGuy: If I'm reading between the lines semi-correctly, you must be somewhat handy with the tools (err... the Craftsman ilk), based upon your statement about "rebuilding Mom and Dad's home". If I were handier, I think I would take a stab at "house flipping". Buy a house, put some work and a little money into fixing it up, then sell it for a tidy profit. There can be BIG money in doing that. I've got a friend that is doing that, and has been successful enough so that both he and his wife was able to quit their regular jobs and both now concentrate on the flipping. He's making "6 figures". Not only does this offer a high income potential, but you can make your own hours so that you can still enjoy your hobby (girls, dancers, escorts). Check out the TLC network's "Flip That House" - it sure sounds inviting to me.

Neglected to mention: I'm 41, have no family, no debt, no current work. Living in (and rebuilding) mom and dad's New Orleans home, stuff in storage. Very little savings. It's a blank slate, about the same as any recent college grad except for my chronological age.